Chapter 33
I also had the rest of the servants drink the truth serum.
“I, I absolutely have never done anything like that. And I have no intention of doing so in the future either. Honestly, I don’t see what kind of spy work there would even be to do in the High Priest Seniel’s estate. I just want to continue working here quietly. I, I even have a three-year-old child at home…”
“You’re saying you’re looking for a thief, so why are you asking about spies—no, anyway, I don’t know anything about spies even if I had to die. I just know how to take care of flowers in the garden. If you ask me to keep something secret, I get so nervous my neck goes cold—I just can’t do it. That’s why I’ve never even secretly prepared a birthday present for my wife! I’m terrible, truly terrible at lying! If I need to do something, I just do it openly—how could I ever… something like that…”
I ended up learning a lot of information I didn’t particularly want to know. The gardener Beryl couldn’t even secretly prepare a birthday gift for his wife, the cleaner Miti had a three-year-old child, and the coachman Martin had been living apart from his family until he finally bought a house and could reunite with them…
Hearing these human stories made my expression hard to control as I watched them tearfully and sniffling. Even after the truth serum’s effects wore off, the butler, worried about being dismissed, took a piece of paper from somewhere and wrote down a list along with a summary of their statements.
With a resolute expression, he handed the paper to me.
“All servants in the estate have finished speaking. Please review it, ma’am.”
“…Thank you.”
I didn’t really need the list, but I accepted it to reassure Hurban.
‘If only we could catch a spy, at least there’d be some progress.’
I couldn’t figure out what he had seen that made him blackmail me. Was he really suspicious just because of that failed smuggling attempt?
‘Still, I can’t just relax like this.’
I had to meet Ronan soon. I had intended to slowly reveal some evidence to him, but now that things had come to this, I didn’t know what to do.
For now, I decided to deal with the people here first.
“…I’m sorry for suspecting all of you. I have no intention of firing anyone, so please don’t cry, and don’t speak of today’s events to anyone. You may leave now.”
“P-please rest well.”
Everyone hurriedly left the room, visibly intimidated. The butler was the last to leave, bowing deeply to me.
The appointed time to meet Ronan was approaching. I paced around the room restlessly, biting my nails.
‘Even if I don’t know how the blackmailer found out, one thing is certain.’
He doesn’t actually know exactly what I intend to do when meeting Ronan. If Ronan himself doesn’t know, how could he?
‘Even so, he threatened me not to meet him… is it really worth taking the risk? Even if this is just a test, once I’ve already been targeted, he’ll only become more persistent.’
Even if I went ahead and met Ronan, given how things had turned out, I wouldn’t have much to say to him. I had planned to subtly spread some clues, but I couldn’t say something like that carelessly. If Ronan caught on and started digging deeper into the Kid incident, it would be the same as me declaring, “I know everything about Kid and am trying to interfere with his plans. Haha.”
‘I already made the appointment… and now I’m hesitating… sorry.’
If I didn’t leave now, I’d be late. Even if I sent a letter saying I couldn’t make it, Ronan would only see it once he returned home. Sending a letter itself also felt risky, so I couldn’t act carelessly.
‘Maybe I could make the sender anonymous, like the blackmailer did.’
Surely the blackmailer wouldn’t open the letter to check. Even if he did, there wouldn’t be anything worth using against me. And if he had any sense, he should understand this much. Nothing looks more suspicious than suddenly cutting off contact right after being threatened not to meet someone.
At the very least, I should tell those around me, “I’ll be busy for a while, so I might not be able to meet.”
I picked out a few jewels and slipped them into the envelope. I hoped it wouldn’t look like simple pity. It also included compensation for grabbing an unrelated person in the carriage and crying while asking who they were.
I called the butler and asked him to send the letter with the sender kept confidential.
After changing into light sleepwear, I lay down on the bed.
‘Let’s gather information about Joel. The blackmailer might not be Joel, but the chances are low.’
And even if the blackmailer wasn’t Joel, it would still be useful to know as much as possible about him.
‘But who should I ask? The black market, where money can buy anything, is out of the question.’
If rumors spread that I was searching for Joel there, the thought alone made my vision blur.
Who could I trust while also having access to a lot of information? Who in the original story was reliable?
Ah, there was one.
‘The heroine’s helper, Sanci!’
I had heard that due to his meddlesome personality, he had a wide network of connections. Since Joel had once been affiliated with the temple, Sanci might know something.
I immediately tried to run toward the temple, but I stopped in front of the door.
Less than a day had passed since the blackmail letter arrived. If I started moving around now, it might only draw more surveillance watching me from somewhere.
‘In this regard, Kid is actually better. At least I don’t know where or how he’s watching me.’
For now, it seemed best to stay cautious.
Knock, knock.
Once again, a knock echoed in the quiet room.
“Ma’am. A guest insists on meeting you personally. They said they would force their way in if not informed. Shall I turn them away immediately?”
“…A guest?”
The butler always seemed to bring surprising news.
‘Is there someone looking for me?’
Judging by his expression, it didn’t seem like Bibi’s family or relatives.
“Who is it that has come to visit?”
The butler replied in a hesitant voice, looking uneasy.
“A Holy Knight named Ronan Phylaxis. You may not know him either, ma’am. He’s extremely strong, and he caused quite a commotion, so I couldn’t handle it on my own. I apologize. I’ll have him thrown out immediately.”
What? My thoughts froze for a moment. Ronan Phylaxis?
“W-wait a moment!”
I quickly threw on my coat. One arm got stuck as I hurriedly struggled to put it on, then opened the door.
“Don’t turn him away—bring him to the reception room—”
“Madam.”
Leaving the flustered butler behind, Ronan walked toward me. It looked like he had been in quite a struggle—his collar was wrinkled and stretched downward, and his hair was disheveled. He looked rough, but the intensity in his eyes prevented him from appearing weak.
His face looked stern—he seemed quite angry. I noticed the butler’s anxious expression. Behind Ronan, the servants who had tried to stop him had gathered in a crowd.
Just like the servants clustered together, my thoughts also became tangled.
‘Is Ronan even allowed to come here? I didn’t invite him—does this count as some kind of conspiracy? And besides, Seniel is supposed to arrive soon… what if we run into her? Is that okay?’
The noisy commotion scattered my thoughts.
For now, I needed to handle the situation before it escalated further. Seeing Ronan’s intimidating demeanor, it didn’t seem like he would leave easily, and since there were too many ears around, moving to another location seemed best for any discussion.
“Please guide us to the reception room.”
“Y-yes! Of course!”
The butler quickly took the lead, startled. I followed him without greeting Ronan. The atmosphere wasn’t appropriate for casual pleasantries.
Earlier, I hadn’t noticed because the room had been crowded, but now the reception room strangely resembled the hidden room on the first floor. If you removed the bookshelf, it would look exactly the same.
“Hurban, you may step out now.”
“…Yes, understood.”
The butler, sensing my mood and eager to escape the uncomfortable situation, quickly disappeared. Both Ronan and I stood motionless near the doorway until the butler was out of sight.
Ronan silently watched me, so I cleared my throat, intending to apologize and wrap things up regarding the canceled appointment.
“Sir Phylaxis—”
However, to my surprise, Ronan suddenly knelt down in front of me.
“I apologize for coming unannounced. I also apologize for my behavior toward the servants. I will take full responsibility for the situation.”
“…No, it’s fine. Please get up. You came all this way because of our appointment, right? I’m the one who should be sorry. So you don’t need to apologize—”
Seeing his face from below, when I had only just been looking down at him moments ago, made it hard to adjust. Ronan lifted his head slightly and spoke.
“I was worried because you didn’t show up.”
